Hello everyone, Armored Brigade II’s British Vehicle Trailer is out now.
As the inventors of the tank the British Army are veterans of mechanized warfare. Building on the experience of World War 2, the British developed some of the first main battle tanks after abandoning their previous system of separate infantry/cruiser tanks.
While the decline of the British empire and economic factors often hamstrung military spending, the United Kingdom still managed to maintain a very effective fleet of vehicles.
FV 4007 Centurion
Centurions encounter scattered resistance as they push through the woods
The Centurion was not designed as a main battle tank, but arguably defined the role and characteristics of what an MBT should be. For the time-frame of ABII the Centurion is a fairly old design. Initial drafting started in 1943 and the first production vehicles began testing in 1945. Compared to her contemporaries like the Cromwell or Churchill, the Centurion is a heavyweight fusion of protection, firepower, and speed.
Thick frontal armor would help defeat anti-tank projectiles, while the frontal armor of the vehicle was heavily slopped for added protection. A 17pdr cannon (later upgraded to a 105mm rifled cannon) could destroy most enemy vehicles like the Panther or, if the unthinkable happened, the Soviet T34-85. A power to weight ratio of 13hp/t wouldn't set any land speed records, but was very respectable for a 50 ton vehicle.
But this is not 1945, Armored Brigade II’s earliest start date is January 1965 and the Centurion has some problems. Her gun can be anemic against modern Soviet tanks and rolled homogeneous steel has issues stopping shaped charges. This is still a tank and much like the American M48 if you use it right, you can get a lot of value. It is immune to small arms and most auto cannons, it can shoot up IFV’s and APC’s without too much risk, and flank shots against Soviet tanks will still kill them.
FV4201 Chieftain
Chieftains crest a ridge and engage Soviet armor
Chieftain is the first purpose-built MBT in the British arsenal, Centurion was more of an “accidental” MBT. The Chieftain is a fusion of a powerful main gun, good armor protection, and limited but still decent mobility all in one package. This is at the expense of weight, at 56 tons metric the Chieftain is a large and heavy vehicle – it follows the postwar trend of building bigger and bigger front-line tanks.
The Chieftain is quickly recognizable due to an unusually shaped turret – the frontal half has a very aggressive slope that makes straight-on shots very difficult. With 350mm’s of armor thickness at a 60° slope, the front of a Chieftains turret is incredibly resilient to penetrations (until the Soviets get good APSFDS 125mm ammunition in the 1970’s). This machine is made to fight from hull-down positions. A top road speed of 40km/h is kind of bad, but usually good enough for fighting defensively.
A 120mm rifled gun gives her a firepower edge over other NATO tanks in service. The Americans wont be getting a 120mm gun in service until the adoption of the M1A1, whereas the Brits have this bad boy in service in 1967. If your playing as the British in the late 1960’s or 70’s, the Chieftain is integral to your armored forces. Fair warning however – the lack of APFSDS ammunition does limit the guns armor penetration.
FV4601 Saladin
A Saladin screen pushes forward to find the enemy
The Saladin is a very interesting little vehicle. An armored car proofed against rifle fire (and that’s about it) the Saladin is armed with a 76mm low velocity gun. With a 6x6 wheeled suspension and a top speed of 72 km/h, the Saladin is very fast and very maneuverable. The downside of wheels is that when heading off-road, the vehicle is more likely to bog down than a tracked vehicle.
Useful in a reconnaissance role, the Saladin has just enough combat power from it’s main gun to be a unique kind of nuisance. Low velocity guns can fit more explosive filler in their ammunition since the shell isn’t subject to as many intense forces as high velocity ammo. This means not only can the Saladin pose an extreme risk to infantry that are dug in, but also to other light armored vehicles.
This is all mitigated by the lack of a fire control system. The Saladin's main gun is not stabilized and is aimed manually by the gunner. This means that the 76mm will only really be accurate if fired from the halt. When on the move the Saladin has a coaxial machine gun for self-defense. The Saladin is a fun tool useful for providing supporting cannon fire from unexpected directions, but be sure to keep it out of the main line of fire.
FV101 Scorpion
A pair of Scorpions ambush Soviet vehicles
Following on from the Saladin, the Scorpion seems like a more mature and impressive brother. A light reconnaissance tank, the Scorpion is armed with a low velocity 76mm gun and a coaxial machine gun. Fully tracked, the Scorpion also benefits from lower ground pressure (tracks generally have lower ground pressure than wheeled vehicles). This means that the Scorpion performs excellently on wet and boggy terrain that might bog a wheeled reconnaissance vehicle like the Saladin.
Equipped with a proper fire control system, the Scorpion’s armament is more accurate than the Saladin. Tracks are also less vulnerable to fire than tires, meaning that her protection is slightly better. The Scorpion is only proofed against heavy machine gun fire from the front – anything stronger than a Dshk will make short work of her.
Much of the tactics that work with Saladin work with Scorpion. This is a recon vehicle that is best kept out of the main line of fire. Scorpion is also fast and low-profile so you can potentially maneuver them to all sorts of unexpected locations. A platoon of tankettes with 76mm guns can be a very rude surprise for infantry in BRDM’s or support vehicles operating close to the front.
Introduced in 1973, the Scorpion shares the battlefield with more and more ATGM’s, BMP’s, and man portable anti tank weapons. Speed, cover, and surprise are your friends with this vehicle – an open field and clear sight lines is an enemy.
FV510 Warrior
Warriors advance with their dismounts - supporting them with machine gun and auto cannon fire
Now we are getting into some very modern and advanced platforms. The Warrior was introduced in 1987 and is still in service to this day. Armed with a 30mm auto cannon, a coax machine gun, and capable of carrying 7 dismounts. The warrior is Britain first modern IFV.
The Warrior is well protected against rifle fire, but still very vulnerable to dedicated anti-tank weapons. A torsion bar suspension and high top speed makes the Warrior a very mobile vehicle. Designed to cooperate with the British Challenger tank, the only serious gap in Warrior’s armament is the lack of an ATGM launcher (which later variants solved) and that her main armament isn't stabilized.
Like the Bradley or BMP-2, the Warrior is an auto cannon-armed IFV that proliferated onto the battlefield in the 1980’s. Almost every major mechanized army of the Cold War was rushing to get something fielded that could defend itself on increasingly deadly battlefields, filled with ATGM’s and tanks with advanced fire control systems.
Saxon APC
Saxon APC's rapidly road march with their dismounts to a threatened sector
The Saxon APC is a very economical vehicle. It was designed to be used with trucks parts which helps with logistics and production scaling. Introduced in the early 1980’s, the Saxon shares the battlefield with modern IFV’s and anti-tank weapons. This is rather dangerous – the Saxon is only proofed against rifle-caliber weapons or shells fragments – making her a very vulnerable target. Capable of carrying 10 dismounts, it’s important to screen and protect these vehicles before the occupants dismount.
As a wheeled vehicle, the Saxon has incredibly high roads speeds. This is offset by wheels being worse at cross country movement or moving through rough terrain than tracked vehicles. You will want to plan your movements with the Saxon carefully – a bogged down vehicle could mean a squad stranded in the woods and isolated on the battlefield.
For armament the Saxon has a single rifle-caliber machine gun. This is best thought of as a weapon for self-defense rather than anything else. The vulnerability of the Saxon means you shouldn’t be shoving it into a front-line combat roll unless they are supporting your dismounts from behind cover. Otherwise you only commit these things to direct fire if things are truly, truly desperate.